‘The Hunger Games’ official movie trailer November 24, 2011

If you haven’t read THE HUNGER GAMEStrilogy by Suzanne Collins, at least crack open the first book before the movie comes out next March. “The Hunger Games” are a televised fight to the death on live TV. It’s a ritual to select the participants — The Reaping, which is like a lottery — that comes annually for the 12 districts that remain after a horrible war that almost wipes out mankind. The rulers after the war — the folks in the Capitol whose children don’t have to participate and who make the districts work to keep them in luxury — decree that in remembrance of this war, each year a boy and girl — between the ages of 12 to 18 — from each of the 12 districts must compete.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives with her mother and younger sister in the coal mining District 12, Prim, knows it’s tantamount to a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the games. The arena isn’t like anything you’ve seen before. The landscape changes. Gamemakers can intervene. There are weird mutated animals and bugs to fight in addition to the other contestants. You need to have some knack for surviving. But in the end — it’s kill or be killed. There’s so much more to this YA science fiction story than this but check out the movie trailer and hit the books if you haven’t read them. They’re sort of a cross between BRAVE NEW WORLD, THE RUNNING MAN and BRAZIL. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

i read the entire series awesome. I don’t want to give any spoilers for those who haven’t but the first book leaves you “hungry” for more especially why that symbol. I passed the books on to a fellow reader who also enjoyed them.

Wow. I was barely able to put “Hunger Games” down for a second after the first few pages got me completely hooked. Normally it takes a week to read a book, but now I read this in 24 hours. Suzanne Collins here has an immediacy to it that, when combined with the very dramatic life-or-death plot, is incredibly compelling. It’s entertaining, and incredibly disturbing all at once. They say great art leaves you changed after you experience it… and this book definitely did that. Suzanne Collins has, with one amazing work, propelled herself onto my top shelf.